After a looooooong week last week making up for our numerous snow/cold days, I was ready to get out of town!!! Two days last week were spent on diversity training and the other 3 were spent downtown Minneapolis for a PLC conference that was awesome. But...now...it's summer!!! Since Laura is in Sioux Falls on work this week, I decided to head up here to the lake with Erica and Lexi. Although the lake isn't nearly as relaxing as it used to be when I ventured up here alone in the past, it is equally fun and rewarding!!!
After a long weekend with Erica being needy and getting into mischief at home, I was scared to do this week up here alone!!! She was equally troublesome on Monday afternoon when we got up here. It was a long day chasing her and repeating "no!!!" A million times, but once she went down I decided I needed a new mental approach to try and get through the next day with more fun. I decided to take things into my own hands, be a better, more entertaining and proactive dad and see how that would treat me...and I'm so glad I had that enlightened moment!!!
We woke up yesterday and had breakfast before heading into Two Harbors to see if there were any ships. We pulled in and got Erica situated in her umbrella stroller for the first time. Lexi was a pain in the ass for the duration of our walk on the pier...whimpering and whining for unknown reasons!!! While we were out walking, a quick fog moved in and we couldn't see the end of the pier nor town behind us!!! Before heading back to the car, we walked down to the tiny beach at the end of the pier and I showed Erica how to throw rocks into Lake Superior...a right of passage for any Minnesota kid!!! We got back in the car after a few minutes of throwing rocks we packed up in the car to take my girls on a special tour...
We pulled into Superior Shores Resort and I explained to my girls how their mommy and I were married on the beach 5 years ago. We walked across the big lawn between the resort and the beach and made our way across the little bridge where I first laid eyes on my beautiful bride on our wedding day!!! We looked for our special rock we wrote our names on, but didn't see it amongst the large pile of special rocks from the numerous other couples that have tied the not on our beach over the past 5 years after us. We walked to the water past our "alter" and threw more rocks while Lexi sniffed every rock nearby. We took a few "selfies" on the beach and I snapped a few more of my girls on our special beach before we made our way back to the car amongst some running and giggling through the grassy lawn of the resort. We made it back to the lake in time for lunch...and a quick breath before heading out on our next adventure...
Swimming!!! I picked out Erica's swimsuit last weekend, so we had to try it out. I almost died trying to inflate her floating raft, but was saved by an air compressor in my dad's garage!!! We packed up and headed a few miles up the shore to the resort our development is partnered with. We waded into the pool water and I shrieked at the chilly water. Erica agreed with me as we waded in with her in my arms. She cried when I tried putting her into the raft that almost killed me. So we swam around in my arms for a bit before discovering a beach ball. That ball was the best thing Erica could've asked for in the pool!!! She love her raft, finally, because she could better play with her ball!!! After a little while, we made our way into the hot tub...don't worry...it was pretty much bath water!!! She loved it and relaxed in my arms for the few minutes we were in there. We played with the ball some more before heading to the shower where I rinsed her off before getting her ready to head back to the lake for a nap. We ended our day with a walk with Lexi around the neighborhood before having dinner and a bottle.
Today's adventured brought us to the car dealership for 2.5hrs for our warranty clear coating. I was shocked to be awaken by my alarm and not Erica. Go figure...the one day this week we had to get up early, she let me sleep in!!! I was terrified by the thought of staying in a waiting room for 2hrs with her, but she did great. It was like a separate service center within the dealership, so we enjoyed lot of empty space for her to roam and explore while we waited. This overlapped nap time and I knew she was tired, but as expected, she refused to sleep in my arms. But by the time we left, she was sleepy and fell asleep by the time we left the dealership and pulled into town...a mile up the road!!!! We drove to the harbor again and napped as a ship was getting ready to leave but woke up as it started backing out, so we got out of the car and headed down the pier again. It was super windy and with my arms full with Erica and an attempt to take a picture, my hat flew off and floated off the pier and towards the water before snagging on a rock. I was reminded of the great people in this world when a guy walking by on the pier told me to hold his bag and hopped through the wiring on he pier to grab my hat!!! Apparently I looked lost with Erica in my arms and a hat blowing away, so he took it upon himself to grab it from the rocks below without thinking twice. If only the world had millions more caring people just like him!!! Anyways, we took some more pictures and headed back to the lake for a bite to eat and a 2.5 hr nap for Erica...she made up for the non-nap this morning!!! After dinner, I gave her an early bath and loaded up the girls for a surprise in town...Dairy Queen!!! Erica scarfed down some ice cream and unexpectedly helped me slurp down my smoothie!!! Lexi got to lick the remnants of our ice cream treats, and all was well in the world!!! Erica squeaked and giggled the whole way back, so apparently, dad was spot on with his surprise!!! She went down for bed soon after we got home and since then, I've been working on this entry!!!
Tomorrow, grandpa and grandma will arrive in the afternoon and our week in solitude will come to an end. Laura will be up Friday night after working in Duluth and it will be an early night to bed for her because she is running the Grandmas Half Marathon on Saturday!!! She has been a running machine over the past few years and I'm so proud of her for ramping up her training to tackle her next challenge!!!
Thanks so much for checking in with us. I'm so glad to be done with school for the summer and ready to kick off a busy summer with my Little Nugget and Lexi. I'll try to be better with more frequent updates. Enjoy the pictures below and thanks again for reading my Daddy Diary!!! Take care!!!
In the car, heading North!!!
Talking with mommy on the phone, cuddled in for the night
In Two Harbors, strapped in to the new stroller
Struggling to take the first picture on the pier
My 2 girls!!!
Erica and Lexi throwing rocks on our special beach
Erica on our beach
The cutest little girl ever!!!!
Ready to go swimming!! (Daddy picked out a cute suit, didn't he?!?!)
The pool toy that almost killed me!!!
A cute moment before bedtime with her "bah bah"
Watching the ship leave...just before daddy's hat blew away!!!
Our bed time treat...Erica helped me finish my treat after she finished hers!!!
Thanks for sharing. I can believe your hat blew off. Erica's hair looks as if it could blow off too!! Love Erica and Lexi pictures. They do make a great pair!!
ReplyDeleteWhat a nice end to a special week for the 3 of you. Fun times that will long be remembered. I wish I could've heard the special stories.
ReplyDeleteGrandma Barb